Social Content Ratings™ Standardizes Social TV Measurement Across Twitter and Facebook

Today, we announced the launch of Social Content Ratings (SCR), the most comprehensive measure of social TV activity across Facebook and Twitter. This launch marks the first time that social TV insights across Facebook and Twitter will be measured with a standardized, third-party methodology and shared with the industry. With the continued fragmentation of media and consumer choice, social TV data—which measures the social media response to television content—is a valuable way for networks, advertisers and agencies to better understand how fans are engaging with television and brands.

In addition to serving as the modern watercooler for consumers, social media has quickly become an immensely powerful channel for brands to engage with a very active (and growing) base of users, particularly with respect to TV programming. For example, Americans posted nearly 1 billion Tweets about TV last year. With Social Content Ratings, networks can measure total social TV activity for their programming and understand how and when consumers engage across Facebook and Twitter while agencies and advertisers can maximize earned media driven by TV campaigns.

“Without comprehensive social TV measurement, networks, agencies and advertisers cannot understand when, where and how social audiences are engaging with programming and social initiatives,” said Sean Casey, President of Nielsen Social. “They are left flying largely blind when developing promotional strategies and campaigns across social platforms and TV. Nielsen is the first to bring to the market this much needed total, standardized, measurement for Social TV through Social Content Ratings.”

We look forward to sharing insights from this cross-platform social TV measurement in the coming months. In fact, a first look at our first Social Content Ratings Daily Top Five lists for the day of Monday, Aug. 1, 2016, found that there were 4.7 million total measurable Social TV interactions across Facebook and Twitter. Select a social network in the interactive chart below to see their respective metrics. To subscribe to receive daily ranking alerts, click here.

These daily lists rank the most social series, specials and sports events based on total number of social TV interactions across Facebook and Twitter. Select a social network in the interactive chart below to see their respective metrics.

Uniques are unique social media accounts that have authored original content related to a linear TV episode or engaged with that content.

Interactions are original social media posts related to a linear TV episode and the engagement with that original content.

Methodology

Uniques and Interactions are a measure of the gross total of relevant U.S. social media activity across Facebook and Twitter from three hours before through three hours after broadcast, local time. Sports Events, Series, and Specials include those on Broadcast and National Cable Networks only. Sports Events are across all dayparts. Series and Specials include new/live primetime and late fringe programming only. For multicast events, networks are listed alphabetically and metrics reflect the highest volume of interactions across all airing networks, denoted with an asterisk.